Saturday, August 31, 2019

And Rising Up Early In The Morning...


...I journeyed eastward...through the ethereal mists of the fertile farmland...


...and the slumbering settlement of the native Lamontians...


...to the verdant valley of Constant Frustration...


...where once again I waged war against the unforgiving demigods of the golf underworld.

They're a nasty bunch, those demigods...


...but I and the tools of my ignorance stood our ground.


After a week of practice with my original 1930s hickories, I had a considerably better round than when I first used them on my dad's birthday at the beginning of July.


They're lighter and stiffer than my hickories from Louisville Golf, so I don't get as much distance with them...but I still had my share of "1 putt for par" chances.

And the weather was perfect...60's and sunny...a delightful stroll through the country.
Guess who's back?



In spite of their confident assurances, turns out the grautogallery folks couldn't sell Mr. T after all...and they had him for 4 full months.

Sorry guys...not impressed.

So now he's back and up for sale on Fakebook marketplace...again.

I told Karen if we can't sell him at the new reduced price then THAT'S IT...I don't want to hear any more about it...we're keeping him.



Time will tell...
Speaking of selling things...a very nice couple from Indiana ended up buying 3 of my vintage televisions last week...turns out they have a museum in Ft. Wayne and wanted them for a display window:
The TVs on the far left, in the center, and just to the right of center are the ones they purchased: 2 original black and white Predictas from the late 1950's and a color Telstar Predicta Meteor from the early 2000s (the centerpiece).

Hated to part with these vintage beauties but it was time...and the couple who bought them are serious collectors so I know the TVs will be well maintained.
Last weekend while working in the front yard 2 ladies were driving through the neighborhood - they noticed all the wild turkeys wandering around - 
- and stopped to comment on the unusual look of our home...since they were mid century modern aficionados we ended up giving them a tour.

It's an odd circumstance but after a couple of years here we've gotten used to it.

All us mid century modern fans are interested in residential architecture and this home's shape, stone and glass are natural attractants apparently.

They were very nice ladies and at the end insisted we accept a bottle of wine from them...
...pretty good pinot noir...don't mind if I do...

I've gotten some static from co-workers recently...they take exception to my complaints that summer is being pushed off center stage by Nature's next impatient act, Autumn...and they assure me summer is NOT over yet.

Well Saturday morning I drove #2 son to the airport - he's relocating to Florida, just ahead of hurricane Dorian...
...and the temperature when I got up at 5:15 am was 45 degrees.

Come on, August 31 and it's in the 40's...does that sound like summer to you?

I'm not saying we won't have more warm days...I sure hope we do...but it's time to face reality:

Summer has packed her bags and she's definitely headed for the station...
me, dressed for fall, sorrowfully watching her go...
Rats...
Enjoyed one of the classic "film noir" movies from the 1940's...
Bogey and Bacall in "The Big Sleep"...an overly complex case of blackmail, murder and of course, romance...both on screen and off.

You can feel the chemistry between the two stars in their scenes together and no wonder...in real life they were lovers and then husband and wife.

Theirs was a May / December union, almost literally...Bacall was born in September of 1924, but Bogart actually was born in December...the 25th no less, and 25 years prior, in 1899.

The movie itself is pretty good...rattles along nicely with crisp, clever dialog, and a satisfying conclusion.

But today it is perhaps most useful as a guidepost, a touchstone in Cinematic history from the Golden Age of Hollywood.

So pour yourself a rye whisky, break open a fresh pack of smokes, put your snub nose .38 revolver on the coffee table and enjoy a classic.

Afterwards, do yourself a favor and cue up Woody Allen's hilarious "Play It Again, Sam"...

...and marvel at the reincarnated Bogey in Allen's brilliantly neurotic sendup of that most famous of film noir classics, Casablanca.

Since you insist, here we go 'Round The Horn...
confession time...all that work was worth it...the sitting area in our front yard IS better with the broken cement pavers.



further proof Fall is approaching...one of the stores we visited had their (ok I admit it, electric) fireplace going...pretty nice one, too.



that's what it looks like when the rain cascades off our new roof / scuppers now.



that's just cool...



...and so is that.



love the art deco look of this store front.



a new resident in our lagoon, evidently.


nightly dinner guests



love the historic buildings we have as part of the downtown district.

And that kind reader is a wrap for this edition of the Atomic Monster Cafe.

On this Labor Day weekend, please rest assured none of our writers...

...nor any missing, corrupt union officials...
...were harmed in any way during the production of this blog entry.

In fact, trying to get the lazy good for nuthin's to actually DO something is our biggest challenge.

Well, that and trying to figure out who shot Mr. Burns...
...wait...What??
...my secretary just informed me we do know who did that...so yeah, forget that last thing...it's the first thing I said.

later, mcm fans...


* Crass Commercialism Corner *

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Sunday, August 11, 2019

I'm Happiest...

...when I'm writing...and I'm happy to report I've started writing my next novella.

Spent a couple of weeks researching, making notes and mentally developing characters.

I've got enough of the story now that I'm good to go.

In my world, this is exciting...
What's not quite as exciting is my attempt to convince a local bookseller to carry my books.
I entered the store, books in hand, and approached the older lady behind the cash register.

She finished with the customer in front of me then turned away, rearranging some papers on the shelf behind her.

Eventually she turned back to me.

"Hello," I offered, "are you the owner here?"

"Fine," she replied.  "How are you?"

Note to self: she's not listening.  I tried again.

"Are you the owner here?" I asked for the 2nd time.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"Are you the owner of this book store?" I asked for the 3rd time.

"Oh, well, not anymore," she answered, flustered.  "My husband and I started it 52  years ago but recently sold it to my daughter."

"Interesting," I said as I put the 3 books I'd brought with me on the counter.
"I'm a local author and wonder if you have any interest in carrying some of my books here?"

She looked at me as if I was something unpleasant she'd just stepped in, then glanced at my books briefly.

"Oh, I'm not the person who could make that decision," she affirmed.

"Ok," I answered, "would that be your daughter then?  Can I speak with her?"

"Oh, well..."

She looked around the store uncertainly, then pointed toward the door.

"She must have stepped out for awhile."

"No problem," I said.  "Can I leave these with you and perhaps you can show them to her when she returns?"

I wrote down my name and contact information.

"These are free," I said, gesturing to the books on the counter, "and I'm happy to provide a few more free books so she can see if they sell.

"If they do, then we can discuss terms at that point, ok?"

"Oh well," she said, "I don't know..."

"Thank you," I replied as I headed for the door, fully expecting that to be the last interaction I have with anyone from that book store.

I truly enjoy writing; marketing, not so much.

But the truth is you're going to hear "no" a lot more times than "yes" when you're trying achieve your dreams.

"No" shouldn't keep you up at night.

Wondering what might have happened if you hadn't given up and quit?

That will keep you up at night.

Gotta find another book store and try again.
On this gorgeous summer weekend I got up at my usual time on Friday morning and trekked to the golf course...
...for a very enjoyable stroll through the countryside with my hickories...
...a little slow getting started, but gained on it as I continued...
...and managed to finish the round with par / bogey / par...
...which for me is a pretty good way to finish a round.
Sounds just fine to me.


Random sightings from hither and yon...
high noon on a dog day of summer...


chillin' at night on the patio...


spotted this margarita lurking in front of our vintage ice crusher...to defuse this volatile situation Karen selflessly volunteered to drink it and quell the danger...

relaxing with a cigar and a gift from Sarah's boyfriend Alex: some Jack Daniels Single Barrel whiskey (128 proof)...sipping whiskey for sure, as too much of that will put you sideways...


Mr. Bee enjoying himself...


the dinner plate hibiscus...


...are finally blooming...

gorgeous day at the farmer's market...



...and at the sidewalk sales...

bullet holes...

...in the bank walls...


...from a bank robbery in the early 1930s...

another big foot sighting...

breakfast at Tiffany's...


our brand new a/c unit since the old one gave up the ghost...my achin' pocketbook...
August continues to sail away at an alarming rate...
...and the 13 weeks of summer I counted when I began my seasonal ritual of taking Fridays off have now dwindled to only 3 left...
...yeah...that's me...gotta make these last 3 count...
But now I and all the helpful staff here at the Atomic Monster Cafe...
...needs must bid you a fond farewell.

We hope your stay, whether voluntary or otherwise, was filled with life altering wisdom you just can't get out of your head, no matter how loudly you scream.

later, mcm fans...


* Crass Commercialism Corner *

In the "so convenient you can't stand it" department, you can purchase my books here and on Amazon.com!

Get your paperback books here:



Get your ebooks here: